West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-06-10
CRANBERRY GROWING.
o. q, Shields, in American Magazine for
June

in which millions of dollars are in
vested in this country, and il
gives employment, for at least por-
tiOn of each year, to many thousands
of people. In the East, where the
value of an acre of even swamp land
may run up into the thousands oil
dollars, 4 cranberry marsh of five or
ten acres is considered a large one,
and, cultivated in the careful, frugal
style in vogue there, may yield its
owner u handsome yearly income.
But in the great, bOundless West,
where land, and more especially
swamp land, may be had for from
one TO five dollars an acre, we do
these things differently, if not bet
ter
The State of Wisconsin produces
nearly one half of the cranberries
annually grown in the United States.
There are marshes there covering
thousands of acres, whereon this
fruit grows wild, having gdOne so even
as far back as the oldest tradition OF
the native red man extends. In
many cases the land on which the
berries grow has been bought from
the Government by individuals or
firms, in vast tracts, and the growth
of thefrmtpromoted and encouraged
by a system of dykes and dams
whereby the effects of droughts, frost
and heavy rainfalls are counteracted
to almost any extent desired. Some
of these holdings aggregate many
( thousands of acres under single
ownership; and after a marsh OF
this vast extent has been thorough
. " ditched, and good buildings, wa
terwOrks, etc, are erected on it, its
value may reach many thousands OF
dollars, while the original cost of the
land may have been merely nomi-
nal.
In few instances, however this
fruit is cultivated ir Wisconsin in a
style similar to that practised in the
East; that is, by pairing the natural
sod from the bog, covering the earth
to a depth of two or three inches
with sand, and then transplanting
the vines into the soil thus prepared
The weeds are then kept down for a
year or two, when the vines take
full possession of the soil, and fur
ther attention is unnecessary.
The natural stand of the vines
in the sod is so productive, however
and the extent of country over which
bountiful Nature has distributed
them so vast, that few operators
have thought it necessary to incul
the expense of special culture.
One of the best and most perfectly
equipped marshes in Wisconsin is
owned by Mr.. c.. B. Sackett, of Ber-
lin. 1t is situated four miles north
of that village, and comprises l,60C
acres. nearly all of which is n veri-
table bog. and is covered with nat.
ural and luXuriant growth of Gran
berry vines. \ canal has been cut
from the Fox River to the southern
limit of the marsh, 4 distance of A.
400 feet. tits 10 feet wide, and the
water stands in it to depth of 9
fee, sufficient to float fair sized
steamboats,. At the intersection OF
the canal with the marsh, steam
water works have been erected, with
flood gates and dams, by means OF
which the entire marsh may be flood
ed, to dep,h of foot or more,
when desired. There are two en-
gines of $50 horsepower each, and
two pumps that are capable of rails
| ingS0 gallons perminute. When,
I in early autumn, the meteorological
conditions indicate the approach of
| frost, the pumps may be put to work
in the afternoon and the berries be
effectually covered by water and
thus protected before nightfall. At
sunrise the gates are opened and the
water allowed to run off again, so
that the pickers may proceed with
their work. The marsh is flooded to
q depth OF about two feet at the be-
ginning of each winter and allowed
to remain so until spring, the heavy
body of ice that forms preventing
the upheaval that would result from
freezing and thawing-anatu pro
cess which, if permitted, works inju-
ry to the vines.
There is three story warehouse
on the marsh with a capacity of 20
600 barrels of berries; and four
large two story houses capable of
furnishing shelter for l,5OO pickers.
The superinJendent's residence is a
comfortable cottage house, surrOun-
ded by giant oaks and elms, and
stands near the warehouse on an
island or small tract of high dry
land near the center of the great
marsh. The pickers' quarters stand
on another island about 200 yards
away.
y plank roadway, built on piles,
about two feet above the level of the
/ ground, leads from the mainland to
the warehouse and other buildings,